Contract Checklist Investigator Meeting

Here is a checklist to help ensure your Investigator Meeting Contract is in order.

1. Correct Meeting Dates

a. Does it include move-in and move-out dates?

b. Does it include pre- and post-convention meetings/activities?

2. Correct Organization Name

a. Is the contract in your name or the name of the organization?

3. Complimentary Rooms

a. Can the earned value be deducted from the master account, or must they be assigned?

b. Are they calculated on a cumulative or daily basis?

4. Special Concessions

a. They should be addressed in the contract, not verbally.

5. Method of Reservations

a. Will attendees use the hotel’s reservations system or a housing bureau?

6. Cutoff Date

a. What is the date for room-block release, and what happens to attendees who attempt to block after this date?

7. Hotel Management

a. If there is a change in the hotel brand or sale of the property, leave yourself room to cancel the contract.

8. Union Contracts

a. Should be addressed completely with contract renewal dates.

b. If there is a change in the union policy, did you leave yourself room to cancel or renegotiate the contract?

9. Function Space

a. Is enough space being held?

b. If unused space is to be released to the hotel, when does this happen?

c. Is there a charge related to function space if the room block is not filled?

10. Payment

a. Are there deposits due?

b. Can the balance be paid in installments? c. When is the final balance due?

11. Attrition

a. What percentage of the room block are you committing to sell?

b. How is the penalty calculated?

c. Is the penalty based on lost revenue or lost profit?

12. Room Types

a. If the hotel’s room types change significantly, leave room to renegotiate (i.e., if 75 percent of your block needs to be double/double or 30 percent smoking rooms, and the hotel renovates or changes policy, it could drastically affect the potential to sell your room block.)

13. Room Block

a. Have you blocked enough rooms?

b. Do you have rooms blocked on shoulder dates?

c. Is the room rate correct? d. Have you established a formula for calculating room rate at a future date? (If you are signing a contract years in advance, this may be necessary.)

14. Early Departure Fees

a. In the event of a guest’s departure prior to their check-out date, is there are fee? Who pays this fee?